Several publications are referenced in this application within parentheses. Full citation to these references is found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. These references describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains, and are incorporated herein by reference.
The consumption of foods rich in antioxidant compounds is well-known to be inversely correlated with the incidence of many chronic disease states (Halliwell, 1994; Thomas, 1994; Ziegler, 1989). Intake of certain of these compounds, such as vitamins C, E and A, is in fact essential for human life. However, most of the natural compounds present in food possessing antioxidant potential are currently considered to be "non-nutritive". Given the preponderant accumulation of epidemiological data and increasing amount of mechanistic data which support an important role for antioxidants in the maintenance of long-term health, their status as "non-nutritive" food components may have to be reconsidered in the future.
The importance of oxidant defense systems in humans is demonstrated by the essential in vivo presence of both enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic antioxidant components (Thomas, 1994). Oxidative stress and resultant oxidative damage may occur as a result of oxidative insults such as air pollution or the "oxidative burst" characteristic of activated neutrophils mediated by the immune response. A constant source of oxidative stress results from formation of superoxide anion via "electron leakage" in the mitochondria during production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Although superoxide anion is not exceedingly reactive in and of itself, it can initiate a chain of events that eventually results in the formation of the highly reactive free radicals and other oxidants. If these reactive oxygen species are not controlled by enzymatic and/or non-enzymatic antioxidant systems, in vivo oxidation of critical cellular components such as membranes, DNA and proteins will result, eventually leading to tissue damage and dysfunction.
Intense exercise can contribute significantly to oxidative stress in a number of ways. Most individuals have at some time in their lives experienced soreness and fatigue after physical exertion. For individuals that desire intense, frequent exercising, the effects of oxidative stress can often inhibit the intensity and/or reduce the frequency of workout routines.
Intense exercise results in a number of physiological changes in the body. First, aerobic respiration is dramatically increased, thereby increasing superoxide anion generation as much as 10-fold or more (Halliwell, 1994) in addition to increasing exposure to environmental oxidative insults such as air pollution. Second, muscle and joint inflammation often result from intense exercise, thus triggering tissue infiltration of neutrophils and subsequent release of reactive oxygen species during the "oxidative burst".
It would therefore be desirable to provide a shelf-stable, visually appealing and flavorful food product comprising carbohydrate and/or fat and/or protein, and other nutritive and non-nutritive compounds, that provides energy and alleviates the effects of oxidative stress and other damage resulting from intense exercise.
The following references, each of which are also incorporated herein by reference, further disclose the state of the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,488 to Cooke et al. discloses a shelf-stable, intermediate moisture, food bar having a soft and chewy texture, and low sugar content formed from a combination of at least two polyhydric alcohols in varying ratios, one of which comprises a sugar alcohol and the other either glycerol or propylene glycol (abstract). The food bar may additionally contain a mixture of dry ingredients selected from the group consisting of grains, fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and vegetables (column 3, lines 51-57).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,605 to Shapira discloses a nutritional soft drink for protecting against the danger of exposure to UV light comprising a mixture of carotenoids, optionally together with vitamin C and/or vitamin E and/or other physiologically acceptable antioxidants (abstract).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,702 to Katz discloses the incorporation of an antioxidant system of natural ingredients to minimize the oxidation of a powdered nutritional product (abstract). The antioxidant system is made up of ascorbyl palmitate, beta carotene and/or mixed tocopherols, and citrate (abstract and column 2, lines 56-59).